watching and so much at stake, they're going to force a fiscal cliff breaking filibuster, i think that's going to have effects that they're going to be very concerned about down the road. so we have kind of a filibuster window here, if the minority leader, if the republican leader will let us proceed that way. >> well, from your mouth to your 99 colleagues' ears, to be sure. >> yeah. >> let's take a listen at your leader, your senate majority leader reid after the meeting. >> i hope everything's a good sign. i've had my confidence destroyed on other occasions, so i hope it's not on this occasion. >> do you share harry reid's cautious optimism there? >> yeah, i think so. he and minority leader mcconnell work together day in and day out. harry is a very good negotiator, who is very familiar with these issues, and we don't, in the senate, have the same issue of the huge tea party caucus in the house that the speaker, frankly, can't get a majority of his party together, because of. so you really have such a dysfunctional republican party in the house that the president had no place to turn,